The present invention relates to an occupant safety restraint system and more particularly to a system comprising a seat belt system in which a shoulder belt includes an inflatable air bag. In the prior art this type of restraint device was referred to as an “inflatabelt” or “inflataband.”
Prior inflatable belt restraint systems used a narrow, tubular air bag which was located in the shoulder belt. The shoulder belt was configured as a tearable, hollow cover or tube which upon inflation of the air bag was broken, permitting the air bag to deploy across the chest of the occupant. The inflatable bag provided a resilient cushion protecting the occupant's chest area. These prior art inflatable belt systems lacked protection for the occupant's head. The combination of the tearable cover or tube and air bag make the shoulder belt rather thick (in comparison to a conventional shoulder belt) and it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to easily pull the shoulder belt over or across the web guide (D-ring) of the seat belt system.
The present invention solves the above deficiencies and comprises in the illustrated embodiment, a three-point safety belt system including: a tongue configured to receive portions of a safety belt assembly; the safety belt assembly comprises a shoulder belt section and a lap belt section, the shoulder belt section including a hollow, generally flat first tube or tubular part; the first tube or tubular part is configured to tear apart along a preferred region or line. The system further includes a web guide and at least one retractor and in the preferred embodiment a first and second retractor. The lap belt section 34 extends from the tongue to the first retractor and the shoulder belt section extends from the tongue to the second retractor. Each of the first and second retractor is respectively configured to retract the lap belt section and the shoulder belt section and to permit the extension or protraction of same. An inflatable air bag is received within and movable with the first tubular part. The air bag, which includes portions to protect the occupant's chest and head, and first tubular part comprise the shoulder belt section. The air bag is inflatable by inflation gas provided by an inflator causing the air bag to expand and break the first tubular part as the air bag inflates from a stored, folded condition to an inflated condition.